Counseling Psychology

UWM’s PhD specialization in Counseling Psychology follows a scientist-practitioner model that integrates theory, practice and research to give you the scientific knowledge and skills needed to work with multicultural urban populations and in diverse settings.

Our PhD students are expected to conduct research and to advance the science of counseling psychology through scholarly inquiry. Our program, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association, will prepare you to work as a counseling psychologist in a variety of settings, including universities, hospitals, mental health clinics and private practice.

Why Choose Our Program?

As Wisconsin’s most diverse university, UWM trains counseling psychologists who are multiculturally competent and prepared to work as psychologists in an urban context.

In 2013, the Department of Educational Psychology won the American Psychological Association’s prestigious Bersoff Presidential Cultural Award for its success in recruiting and graduating doctoral students from racial/ethnic minorities as well as other countries.

We’re located in the state’s economic, cultural and career capital, just 15 minutes from downtown Milwaukee and 90 minutes from Chicago, ensuring ample internship and networking opportunities. During the 2013-14 school year, 100 percent of our counseling students were matched in internships, compared with the national average of 80 percent.

You’ll work alongside internationally known faculty as an integral member of their research teams and may have the opportunity to present your work at national conferences.

About The Program

If you already have a master’s degree, the program involves three years of coursework, a year of dissertation and a year of internship. If you enter with a bachelor’s degree, you will have an additional year of coursework.

Students are required to take 21 credits of counseling psychology courses, 18 credits of practicum, 13 credits of statistics, 18 credits of psychological foundations, and 3 credits of urban ed/urban psychology.

In keeping with our scientist-practitioner model, we require all students to participate on a faculty member’s research team for two years. Many students participate on more than one faculty member’s team, and most students stay involved in research for the entire four years that they are on campus.

Our program is recognized by the state licensing board, and you will be eligible for licensure as a psychologist once you complete the doctorate and the post-doctoral hours required by the state (1,500 hours in Wisconsin) and successfully pass the national licensing exam and state jurisprudence exam.

Stipends

Stipends for teaching or research assistantships at or above 33 percent time include tuition remission. Stipend salaries vary according to type of assistantship (e.g. teaching, research) and type of student (doctoral, dissertator). For an academic year (9 month) appointment for 2014-15, stipends are $13,723 for 50% time assistantships and $9,057 for 33% time assistantships. The following table indicates the type of support given to each cohort of students for the 2014-15 academic year. Students are eligible for assistantships funded by the School of Education for three years; after the third year in the program, students are strongly encouraged to seek assistantships through faculty grants or off-campus sources. Learn more about the Graduate School’s current assistantship salary/stipend schedules.

Cohort Year

Fellowships

Assistantships

Off-Campus Employment

Unfunded

1

0

4

1

0

2

1

5

0

0

3

1

4

0

0

4

2

3

0

0

Counseling Psychology Student Association

Open to all doctoral students in the Counseling Psychology PhD Program, CPSA focuses on student advocacy, professional development, and socialization/peer-to-peer mentorship. Members are also active at the national level (e.g., ACA, APA, APAGS). We encourage all students to get involved.

Application Information

You should plan to apply a year before you intend to start. The application for fall is generally due in early December, and applicants invited for interviews will be notified by early January. Applicants will be notified of admissions decisions by mid-February.

The application process consists of two parts: 1) Applying to the UWM Graduate School and 2) Applying to the Department of Educational Psychology.

You reasons statement. In this statement, you should describe your long-range goals, how you see yourself fitting into UWM’s program, which has and urban and multicultural emphasis; and relate experiences which influenced your decision to pursue counselling.

Send Materials To

Submit letters of recommendation from three people who can comment meaningfully and knowledgeably on the likelihood that you can successfully complete a doctoral degree. At least one reference must be from an academic source, and it is helpful if the majority of references are written by college/university faculty who have worked with you as recently as possible. Recommendations must be received by November 26 and must be sent directly by the authors in signed, sealed envelopes. We must receive hard copies with original signatures: copied, faxed or digitized letters will not be accepted.

Send a copy of your reasons statement to the department. Be sure to indicate you are applying for the “Counseling Psychology” specialization. If you have not already done so, please articulate your research interests and goals, the relation of these interests and goals to urban issues, your intention to specialize in counseling psychology, and any faculty members with whom you are interested in working.

Program FAQ

Values Statement

The Counseling Psychology specialization at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a multicultural community of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds as well as representative of many religious, spiritual, political, beliefs, physical abilities, ages, national origins and sexual orientations.

The program expects that students will be respectful and supportive of all individuals, including but not limited to clients, staff, faculty, and peers who are different from themselves in terms of age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, political orientation, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, ability, language, and socioeconomic status. It is also expected that students and faculty will work to create a climate of safety and trust for all concerned.

Advising

We will assign you a temporary advisor when you are admitted to the program. Once you enter the program, you are free to choose a new advisor who will be the chair of your dissertation committee, or continue with your assigned advisor.